Russia and China will remain strategic partners in the long term regardless of the outcome of the upcoming Russian presidential election, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
俄罗斯总统普京周四表示,无论即将到来的总统大选是什么结果,从长远来看中俄仍将保持战略合作伙伴关系。
"I am
fully1 convinced that the development of relations with China enjoys a national
consensus2 in Russia, and irrespectively of the outcome of the (Russian presidential) election campaign, Russia and China will remain strategic partners for an extensive historic perspective," Putin told Xinhua during his annual press conference.
Putin
reiterated3 that China's Belt and Road Initiative is
perfectly4 compatible and can be incorporated with the development of the Eurasian Economic Union and Russia's proposals on a broad
partnership5 in Asia.
He highlighted the two countries' major
joint6 projects including projects in the Arctic, liquefied natural gas plants, high-speed railway,
high-tech7 sector8 and space sector, especially the
promising9 prospects10 of potential cooperation in developing the Northern Sea Route.
"If we guarantee the use of it all year round, and I hope we may reach this goal quite fast, the circulation of articles between Asia and Europe will be more economically feasible than through the existing routes... Both Russia and China are interested in this," said Putin.